How did I not know this before!
It was Friday. Fine day I would say, there have been worse ones but this was just fine. I had just reached my apartment, relaxed a while and turned on my playlist. A few songs went by and then it came. Rasaali (ராசாளி) meaning Falcon/Eagle (Falco Peregrinator found in the southern regions of India) , is also the title of a song in the movie Acham Yenbadu Madamaiyada. I have listened to this song multiple times previously but this was the first time I realized that it had something wonderful.
Let’s go off the track for a bit now. Thiruppugazh (திருப்புகழ் - can be pronounced as Tiruppukal) is a very old ancient set of devotional songs dedicated to Lord Muruga by the poet-saint Arunagirinathar (அருணகிரிநாதர்). Thiruppugazh 6 Muththaiththaru (முத்தைத்தரு) is an iconic song from this set. A famous rendition of this song is by TM Sounderajan in the movie Arunagirinathar.
Now, let’s do a small activity. Connect your headphones and play the above music video for a few seconds (approximately 9 seconds from 0:14 to 0:23). Then click the below video and listen for the same 9 seconds (from 2:24 to 2:33).
And THERE IT IS!, it hits like a missile, BOOM!! The striking similarity! The music, the lyrics, everything done here by Thamarai and AR Rahman is pure genius to me. The breathtaking visuals directed - no conjured by GVM, the nectar like voices of Sathya Prakash and Shashaa Tirupathi - all of these together elevates not just the music but also our spirits.
And I think this is how art evolves, passing down through various generations and inspiring artists to create art that captivates everyone. The journey of a 15th Century poem and its shades, present in a 21st Century song is just absolutely delightful.
(Try singing these in alternates, it fits perfectly and syncs so well !!)
When we find something as interesting as this, what do we do ? SHARE. And that’s what I did. I shared it with my friends. We all have that defunct Whatsapp group named “Trip Plan” where everything other than planning trips would be discussed. From this space I got two more ‘How did I not know this before’ - thank you Poojaa 🥂.
- The song Avalum Naanum uses the lyrics from the poem “Avalum Naanum Amudhum Thamizhum” by the 20th CE poet Bharathidasan (பாரதிதாசன்). http://eluthu.com/kavignar-kavithai/2023.html
- “Thendral Vandhu” a masterpiece by Ilayaraja inspired his son Yuvan to make the song “Idhu Varai”. The transition he does (below video) is just bliss. Idhu varai - song inspiration! | #Shorts | Throwback | Sun TV